Talk to me about wadding!

[doesntworkonwood]

As I said a while ago in my introductory post, I'd like to give quilting a go but I've come across a bit of a road block: I have absolutely no clue about wadding.

I know that it must be used between layers of fabric for quilts and that it comes in many different fabric blends and thicknesses, but that's about it so I thought I'd come over here and ask.

What type/brand of wadding do you use? Why?
Where do you buy your wadding from? What do you expect to pay for it?What types of quilts do you make/who do you quilt for?

I'm planning on doing the QAYG method as I have a very small room and small area for my machine. Does this make a difference?

Thanks so much guys!

[BrendaP]

All the info about wadding (batting in USA) is here
https://thecuriousquilter.wordpress.com/2010/09/16/quilt-batting-basics/
and
https://thecuriousquilter.wordpress.com/tutorials/cq-quilt-batting-selection-chart/

IMO Cotton, or 80% cotton, is nicest to work with but polyester is lighter in weight.  A big quilt can be quite heavy.

[Iminei]

Well David,

When I first started I used bump (curtain interlining, I believe) for my first few projects .. it was available, it was cheap and I knew diddlysquat about anything!

Basically wadding is a personal choice.....

There is 100% polyester wadding which gives a very stiff boingy and puffy feel/look to a quilt .... I have used it, but dont like it
There is 80/20 (cotton/poly) which a lot of people like
There is 100% cotton (my preferred choice)
there is Bamboo (which is deliciously cool in the summer) but more expensive than the ones listed before
There is Silk ££££
and Wool ££££

These last two I have no experience of but would (for me) be used for heirloom projects

These waddings can come in natural (a beige)
Ultra clean/white (very white/bleached but useful under majority white or pale tops)
and black

You can also use cheap fleeces from Ikea, the Range etc as a wadding
or fleece just as a backing ... useful for kiddies quilts as they are soft and dry quickly once washed.

You can buy wadding precut, in specifically sized (usually American sizes) packs ...
crib, single, twin, double, queen, king
or off the roll in metres ..... Several Online and inshow suppliers do offers on 3+ metres and
you can also purchase wadding by the whole or half bolt ...

These are called Ducks and need to be kept behind your sofa (@rubywishes   )

If you are making a  kingsized quilt you may have to get extra wide wadding tho' there is nothing to stop you joining wadding but if you QAYG (The Darkest of the Dark Arts) you just have to have something you can cut into squares an inch or so bigger than your block size.

I have made several Tuts which are available here in TSP and Google truly is your friend with regards to how to get started.

If you are a complete novice I would strongly suggest Craftsy's FREE Block of the Month 2012; Leah Day takes you through all manners of different blocks and techniques starting very easy and increasing (mildly) in difficulty as you go along .... This is a great way to try out different styles of piecing to see what floats your boat or sinks your battleship!

[Ploshkin]

A good place to get it is Cotton Patch.  They have a good range and I think they do a swatch pack.
I've only done a very few quilts and I actually like polyester.  It's lightweight and warm.  I haven't found it makes the quilt stiff probably because I haven't done close quilting.

[Iminei]

Maybe stiff is the wrong word Ploshy ... how about ... boingy??!!

[Acorn]

I had always used what I could find locally, but when I made my last quilt I decided to take advice, since so much expertise was available here.

Ploshkin recommended Soft and Bright to me and I'm not sure I would use anything else now.  It was lovely to work with, and the quilt is lovely - can't ask for much more!

[Iminei]

and the quilt is lovely

Can't seem to find a pic of that @Acorn ... you know the rules!

Pic please! 

[Acorn]

You know the one Imi, but here it is again (with repeated apologies for the yellow wallpaper affecting the colour!)


This picture shows the colours better.


@doesntworkonwood - the thread about my By The Sea quilt is well worth a read, because people gave me lots of advice, and also posted lovely pictures of their quilts.

[Lowena]

I use a cotton / poly mix. Usually Hobbs 80 /20

[Efemera]

I always use Warm and Natural, I have used polyester once... never again. It’s not nice to sew with and doesnt give a nice finish.

https://warmcompany.com/products/warmnatural-16

[Fiona M]

Jumping on board with a newbie question.  How does one join pieces of wadding please?

[Lowena]

I butt them up and hand sew / tack / baste the pieces together so that they hold next to each other.I usually go up and down, so the stitches are like giant crosses

[Efemera]

Butt together and zig zag on the machine.. widest and longest setting

[BrendaP]

Doughty's online have 10% off all their wadding until Friday.
https://www.doughtysonline.co.uk/wadding/

[Iminei]

I included a short piece about joining wadding in several of the  BOM tuts,
you can find one in February's BOM either

Scroll through the pics to halfway along

and then click on the i icon
or read through all the destructions until you come to it....